1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:07,039 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, Welcome to the Restless Ones. I'm Jonathan Strickland. 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,719 Speaker 1: As always, my focus is on exploring the intersection of 3 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: technology and business by having conversations with the most forward 4 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: thinking leaders. Throughout my career, I've covered everything from massive 5 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:24,319 Speaker 1: parallel processing to advanced robotics, but what truly inspires me 6 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: are the stories of innovation and transformation. Today, I have 7 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: the pleasure of speaking with Simontany Goadbolet, the chief Digital 8 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: and Information Officer at Low's. Simontani's background is in mathematics 9 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: and engineering, and we hit it off right away. I 10 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:46,319 Speaker 1: quickly learned about both her perspective on technological innovation and 11 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: on business leadership. When presented with a challenge, Simontani begins 12 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: exploring solutions through collaboration and thinking outside the box, all 13 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: while maintaining an enthusiasm around her work. And Simontany has 14 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: played a pivotal role in guiding decisions and strategies at 15 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: Low's as the company has embraced digitalization to improve the 16 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: experiences of customers, partners, and associates alike. But before we 17 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: dive into all the work she's doing at Low's, I 18 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: wanted to take a little time to learn more about 19 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: Samontany herself. Simontani, thank you so much for joining us 20 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: on the Restless Ones. I'm extremely excited to have this conversation. 21 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 2: With you today, Jonathan. 22 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 3: Great to be here. I'm really looking forward to this conversation. 23 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: Before we jump into all the amazing work done over 24 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 1: at Low's. I always like to get to know my 25 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: guests a little bit better. I'm very curious how you 26 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: first got interested in engineering and technology. 27 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 3: You know, I think, Jonathan, I grew up in India 28 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 3: and did my undergrad in India, and then I came 29 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 3: here to do my graduate school. And from the very beginning, 30 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 3: I feel like I was interested in math and science, 31 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 3: and I wish I could come up with a much 32 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 3: smart reason. But I figured out that math problems, if 33 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 3: you just solve them on a consistent basis, you didn't 34 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 3: have to study too much just before the exams. If 35 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 3: you do a bunch of mathematical problems, then you're always 36 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 3: ready for a test and you don't have to do 37 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 3: anything special. On a more serious note, I think scientific 38 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 3: experiments hands on learning. I just feel like it interested 39 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 3: me much more. What I would say is the more 40 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 3: you do it, the better you get. At it and 41 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 3: then it becomes a bit of a virtuous cycle. And 42 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:33,919 Speaker 3: that's what happened to me, Jonathan. And by the time 43 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 3: then I have completed my high school, I was very 44 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 3: clear that I wanted to pursue engineering. My dad was 45 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 3: an engineer, so I'm sure that had a tremendous influence. 46 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: That's great. It resonates with me because I often saw 47 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: math as sort of like a series of puzzles, and 48 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 1: solving puzzles with something I always love to do. And 49 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: certain types of math, like trigonometry just sang to me, 50 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: and physics sang to me. And it's because it may 51 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 1: made sense, and once you grasped it, everything starts to 52 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: kind of fall into line, and I get a little 53 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: hint of what it must be like to be an engineer. 54 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: Not that I would ever suggest I am as lofty 55 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: as an engineer, but Samantani, you've of course had lots 56 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: of experience as both a technical lead and an engineer. 57 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:22,679 Speaker 1: I'm curious how those experiences in those roles shaped your 58 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: approach to leadership. 59 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think the biggest thing that happened to 60 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 3: me was, even to this day, I truly appreciate what 61 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 3: engineers do for us, and not just engineers, but ux designers, 62 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 3: data scientist, infrastructure engineers. I mean, we could go on 63 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 3: and on, but maybe because I did that work myself, 64 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 3: I have a huge appreciation for how much dedication it needs, 65 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 3: how much you have to keep yourself up with new technology, 66 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 3: keep learning. Jonathan, you said something which so resonated with me, 67 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 3: which is solving a puzzle. Right, So, if you're after 68 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 3: an engineer and you're writing cops and gops of code 69 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 3: on an everyday basis, you're solving puzzles continuously, and then 70 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 3: there are many evenings you go home and you haven't 71 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 3: quite solved something and it's bothering you, and you come 72 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 3: in the next morning, and then suddenly you have a 73 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 3: breakthrough and things change overnight, like something that seemed completely 74 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 3: unsolvable yesterday suddenly today you have had a breakthrough. So 75 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 3: I just feel like living that life gave me tremendous 76 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 3: appreciation for what our teams do, And to this day, 77 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 3: when we are having a whiteboard discussions, those that are actually, 78 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 3: by the way, my best hours, I tremendously enjoy working 79 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 3: with the teams that way. 80 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: Anytime you get a chance to share ideas with people 81 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 1: who might be looking at things from a slightly different 82 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 1: perspective and perhaps see something that you missed. To me, 83 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 1: that's one of the great joys. I don't get frustrated 84 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,039 Speaker 1: that I missed it. I take joy that someone else 85 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: saw something that just because the angle I was looking 86 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: at I could not see. 87 00:04:58,600 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 2: Jonathan. 88 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 3: One of the big things is every day I realized 89 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 3: that how much my team knows and how good they 90 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 3: are at what they do, and it's humbling. It's just 91 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 3: really awesome to be surrounded by such smart people. 92 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: That's fantastic. What actually brought you to Low's? 93 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,480 Speaker 3: So I was working for another retailer, I was working 94 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 3: for Target. When I got a call from the team 95 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 3: at Low's. It was going to be a bigger job. So, 96 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 3: just to be really frank, I felt like I could 97 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 3: have more impact. I felt like I was ready. And 98 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 3: when I came and met with everybody at Low's, my 99 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 3: future peers, and of course I met with Marvin Ellison 100 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 3: and our CEO. What was very impressive is, first of all, 101 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 3: I felt like Low's had a tremendous scale. Also, as 102 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 3: I was listening from everyone about the home improvement business, 103 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 3: I felt like that field was ripe for omni channel retail, 104 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 3: lots of innovation, but here's the most important thing. I 105 00:05:55,360 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 3: felt like Marvin was truly interested in transformation led by technology, 106 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:05,360 Speaker 3: and I felt like this happens very very rarely, where 107 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 3: the company of scale who wants to transform, a CEO 108 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 3: who's empathetic and really invested in transformation, and then a 109 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 3: domain that is so problem rich. All these things don't 110 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 3: come together often enough. And I was really excited after 111 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 3: listening to everybody, and I didn't want to pass up 112 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 3: that chance. So I'm really lucky I got this job 113 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 3: and I love it every day. 114 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: It sounds like the perfect convergence. It does sound like 115 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: the engineer's dream come true of we're going to give 116 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: you the support you need to be the change that 117 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,159 Speaker 1: we need in order to move into the next era 118 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: of our organization's history. Out of curiosity, when you first 119 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:48,359 Speaker 1: meet someone, how do you actually describe what your job 120 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 1: is to them? 121 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,160 Speaker 3: Absolutely, and Jonathan, that's a really good question. All of 122 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 3: us want to describe our jobs in a way that 123 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,599 Speaker 3: everybody understands. And here is what I do really on 124 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 3: an everyday basis. My job is to make sure that 125 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 3: our customers are able to buy everything they want. However, 126 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 3: whenever wherever they want to buy. So whether they want 127 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 3: to go to lows dot com, they want to call 128 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 3: our contact center, they want to come into our stores, 129 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 3: they should get a really connected and a seamless experience. 130 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 3: On the other side of a coin, what we are 131 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 3: doing is for our associates, whether you're working in a 132 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 3: store behind a register, or you're receiving a truck in 133 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 3: our receiving doc or you're a supply chain associate moving 134 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 3: the product through our warehouse, or you're sitting in our 135 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 3: what we call it as store support center, which is 136 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 3: basically a headquarter where you're sitting here doing some financial analysis. 137 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 3: I really want to make sure that our associates are 138 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 3: able to have the best experience so that they can 139 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 3: serve our customers. So it really is about all the 140 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 3: experiences and technology we design for our customers and associates. 141 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 3: This is how I describe my job, and we are 142 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 3: on a journey to become the most customer centric omni 143 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 3: channel retailer, and I feel like technology plays a really 144 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 3: important role in that. 145 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: I like that description. Being able to do this to 146 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: provide this experience both to the customers, for Low's Lows 147 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: as partners as well as the associates who work at Lows. 148 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: It requires a bedrock that we love to talk about 149 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: on this show, which is, of course connectivity. It is 150 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: my firm belief that connectivity is the technology that enables 151 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,840 Speaker 1: so much more innovation. And while we can focus on 152 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: the innovation and we will talk about it, it never 153 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: escapes me that that connectivity piece is what makes it 154 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: all possible, so that we don't just have silos of 155 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: data that do no good because they're all independent, little 156 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 1: islands that never have any connection with anything else. So 157 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: can you tell me a bit about what it means 158 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:56,680 Speaker 1: to build a connected workforce at Low's. 159 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 3: Absolutely, And Jonathan, when we said home improvement is a 160 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 3: problem rich space, that this field is right for omni 161 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 3: channel experiences, I'll tell you what we mean, and that 162 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 3: goes back to the connectivity you just brought up. So, 163 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 3: for example, you want to change floors in your house, 164 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 3: what you generally would do is and there are some 165 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,120 Speaker 3: decisions which are almost like family decisions, because these are 166 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 3: big decisions you're making not just for yourself, but you're 167 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 3: making it for the entire family. This is the floor 168 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 3: you're going to live in every day. This is something 169 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 3: you're going to wake up every morning and take a look. 170 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 3: You want to be proud of it, you want to 171 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:33,840 Speaker 3: feel happy about it. When you invite people over, you 172 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 3: want them to feel really good about what you've done. 173 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 3: So there is a lot of pride in this project. 174 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 3: So what you do generally is what we have seen 175 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 3: with our customers. You start your journey online and you 176 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 3: may order samples, you may look at different floors. Now 177 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 3: we have introduced lots of features where you take a 178 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 3: picture of your home, upload it. Then you try out 179 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 3: different floors online from our catalog and you may narrow 180 00:09:57,480 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 3: down your choices and you may see, these are the 181 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 3: three or four things I like. But then generally what 182 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 3: we have seen is customers then go to the store, 183 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 3: or they'll go with their contractor we have this huge 184 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:13,000 Speaker 3: advantage of just really experienced associates, and so when you 185 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 3: go to the stores, you get tremendous amount of additional information. 186 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 3: And then what we have seen is generally then people 187 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:23,000 Speaker 3: sort of complete their transaction. They either complete their right 188 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 3: there in the stores or they come back and do 189 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 3: that back online. So that's why it needs to be 190 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 3: very connected because if it was disconnected, like if you 191 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 3: zero in on three floors online, but you go to 192 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 3: the store and then nobody knows what you're talking about, 193 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 3: it won't work. So there is just a tremendous amount 194 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 3: of information and connectedness that needs to go back and 195 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 3: forth between the different channels. For our appliances. For example, 196 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 3: we started a two way communication where we keep you 197 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:56,199 Speaker 3: completely updated that Hey, reminding you, Jonathan, your deliveries tomorrow, 198 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 3: are you still ready for it? Because plans change, And 199 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 3: then even throughout the day. 200 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 2: We would keep you updated. 201 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,800 Speaker 3: So I feel like Jonathan, our customers are demanding it 202 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 3: more and more that it doesn't matter how they buy something, 203 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:13,560 Speaker 3: but they want it all connected. They want similar and 204 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,880 Speaker 3: consistent experience, and they want it to be really a 205 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 3: hassle free, fun type of experience when they are doing 206 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 3: something so exciting in their life. 207 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, I've personally had very many of the experiences that 208 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: you've just mentioned, and I think that the connectivity that 209 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 1: we've seen over the last several years, which enables this 210 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: where you have this real time inventory management system that 211 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:43,200 Speaker 1: can be reflected on the customer facing side, that's transformative. 212 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: It removes so many pain points and frustrations as someone 213 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: who's actually tackling a DIY project, which can, as I'm 214 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: sure you're aware, Samontane, it can sometimes be a little stressful. 215 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: So to me, those are those connective points that are 216 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 1: absolutely critical to having a good experience, and it's the 217 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: one that keeps bringing you back to a specific business 218 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 1: when that sort of representation of making use of data 219 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:12,720 Speaker 1: in a constructive way has a huge impact on the customer. 220 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 2: Absolutely. 221 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 3: And the other thing we have also seen is our 222 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 3: customers and even associates want our experiences to be very 223 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:21,920 Speaker 3: context aware. 224 00:12:22,559 --> 00:12:26,199 Speaker 2: So exactly like you said, what is available. 225 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 3: In the store near you, what is right for you 226 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 3: if you're living in Miami as opposed to let's say Denver, Right, 227 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 3: the climate and the requirement of these places are very different. 228 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 3: If you're living in a very tight urban location, no 229 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,840 Speaker 3: point in showing you an elaborate, big patio set. Maybe 230 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 3: you're looking for a bistrow table with a couple of chairs, 231 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:49,439 Speaker 3: and maybe that's what we should show you, whether you 232 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 3: come online or whether you're coming inside a store. And 233 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 3: these are the context rich experiences. 234 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:05,560 Speaker 1: Well, one of the other things we love to talk 235 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:09,560 Speaker 1: about on this show specifically would be the use of 236 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:13,440 Speaker 1: wireless technologies like five G and Wi Fi six. So 237 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:17,679 Speaker 1: I'm very curious, Samontoni, do you see places where the 238 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:22,679 Speaker 1: retail sector in particular can really leverage these connectivity solutions, 239 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,119 Speaker 1: ones that have the high throughput and the low latency 240 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:30,599 Speaker 1: that we're seeing developed through these new wireless technologies. 241 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:31,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. 242 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 3: Of course, we are tremendous consumers of cloud, and we 243 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,200 Speaker 3: do have our own data centers just given the complexity 244 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:41,280 Speaker 3: and the reach of LOWS. But then what we have 245 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 3: done is across our more than seventeen hundred stores, we 246 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 3: have really created mini are a micro data center in 247 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 3: each of the stores, so that way we are closest 248 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 3: to the customer wherever the customer is. So if you 249 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,200 Speaker 3: are online, you're connecting to the cloud. If you walk 250 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:00,480 Speaker 3: into the store, you're connecting to a cert which is 251 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 3: in the store itself. And then if you are sitting 252 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,440 Speaker 3: at one of our store support centers, which is like 253 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 3: a headquarter, and you're let's say a merchandising analyst, you're 254 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:13,080 Speaker 3: connecting to our data center. So we are trying to 255 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 3: connect you to the closest location, and then everything you 256 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 3: mentioned comes into picture in a big way. For example, 257 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 3: if you're in a store and you are an associate 258 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:23,880 Speaker 3: or a customer, you're connected to the Wi Fi, you're 259 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 3: connected to the server which is very close. And what 260 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 3: we are doing is with our caching strategy and APIs, 261 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:33,240 Speaker 3: we are making sure that the data is staged closest 262 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:35,640 Speaker 3: to where you are, and we are trying to reduce 263 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 3: communication across sites. So, for example, if you are in 264 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 3: the store, you're trying to keep your communication within the 265 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 3: stores as much as we can. 266 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 2: Now there are. 267 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 3: Times when you are leaving the store, your bits and 268 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 3: bytes are leaving the stores, going someplace else, collecting answers 269 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 3: and coming back, and you're absolutely right in those times. 270 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 3: What we do is use technologies such as five G. 271 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 3: If you're a customer and there are some calls yours 272 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 3: which are going outside of the store, or you're an 273 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 3: associate and you're using a Zebra device, which is basically 274 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 3: a smartphone device that we issue to all our associates 275 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 3: to whether find induventor relocations, place an order, get something replenished, 276 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 3: and so we are making use of wireless technology. Sometimes 277 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:25,240 Speaker 3: we are using connectivity for tethered servers, but we are 278 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 3: making sure that the data and the answers are placed 279 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 3: closest to where the customer is well. 280 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: I imagine that also plays a huge part in logistics 281 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: and things like supply chain as well when you're looking 282 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 1: at it from the back end. And we've had a 283 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: lot of conversations on this show about supply chain because 284 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:47,280 Speaker 1: obviously during the pandemic that was first and foremost in 285 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: everyone's minds as we saw all the choke points, and 286 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: people suddenly realized what engineers had known for ages, that 287 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 1: the supply chain is a delicate system, and that realization, 288 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 1: paired with our new capacity to collect and analyze information, 289 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 1: means that the generation of leaders are far more aware 290 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 1: of the power of data and how you can use 291 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: that information to have as little interruption in business as possible. 292 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 3: Absolutely, and Jonathan, I mean some of these things came 293 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 3: to surface during COVID, when suddenly the demand for everything outstripped. 294 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:24,560 Speaker 3: Supply data, to your point, is really powerful and one 295 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 3: of the biggest things the customers wanted to know is 296 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 3: what is available near me in my store. So we 297 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 3: had by that time actually modernized some of our technology 298 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 3: around inventory and inventory positioning, so we were able to 299 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 3: expose that even before COVID hit us, So that was good, 300 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:46,120 Speaker 3: but we unleashed a lot of different experiences and what 301 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:49,800 Speaker 3: we did was we literally, you know, curbside experience through 302 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 3: our app. We rolled that out within six weeks. Inventory 303 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 3: we started making it more prominent as to what is 304 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 3: available next to you. But throughout COVID, and even before COVID, 305 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:05,880 Speaker 3: we continued our transformation and we actually doubled down. It 306 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 3: was great for our customers because they were relying on 307 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:11,200 Speaker 3: lows to find the things they needed to keep their 308 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:14,640 Speaker 3: homes working. And I think it truly showed that our 309 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 3: team was super resilient in really difficult times. 310 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: And this segue is really well into our next section 311 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:24,120 Speaker 1: where we were going to talk specifically about e commerce. 312 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:28,879 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously e commerce became the dominant form of 313 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:32,679 Speaker 1: the way that customers interacted with businesses, particularly during the 314 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: times of lockdown. What can leaders in the retail sector 315 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: do to sort of anticipate enormous shifts as what we've 316 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 1: seen with e commerce. What lessons have you learned that 317 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:45,399 Speaker 1: I think are valuable to your peers. 318 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,560 Speaker 3: I have always looked at e commerce as a really 319 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,960 Speaker 3: important part of total retail equation, and everybody at Loosed 320 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 3: US so I don't think that was a big surprise. 321 00:17:56,400 --> 00:18:00,560 Speaker 3: I think what Covid did was it just accelerated trend 322 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 3: which was already in motion, which is, you know, lots 323 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,880 Speaker 3: of people who had never done online grocery shopping started 324 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 3: doing that, Lots of people who had never thought they 325 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:15,440 Speaker 3: could get something delivered, you know, restaurant orders. Overall, digitization 326 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 3: just reached epic proportions. And I think some of those 327 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,439 Speaker 3: changes are permanent. And what I mean by that is 328 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:26,680 Speaker 3: just your level of comfort. And what we did was 329 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:28,399 Speaker 3: we looked at it and we said what does it 330 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,719 Speaker 3: mean to our customers and what would be most helpful. So, 331 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:36,480 Speaker 3: for example, we observed that virtual appointments people are getting 332 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 3: really comfortable just this new way of conversing with each 333 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 3: other through cameras and through this new technology. People are 334 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,159 Speaker 3: really good with that. And so what we did was 335 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 3: for some of our categories like kitchen design, you know, 336 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:55,159 Speaker 3: countertops and cabinets, what we do is we have a 337 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:59,120 Speaker 3: centralized selling team and you could go ahead and book 338 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 3: an appointment virtually and start talking to them. 339 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 2: You'll still have people from lows. 340 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 3: Come to your house and take some measurements, but because 341 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 3: of their virtual appointment. That is happening even before people 342 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 3: at Low's come into your house, you have done a 343 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 3: lot of homework. We can actually do our own homework 344 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 3: before we come to your house, and then that way 345 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:23,720 Speaker 3: we can get everything done in one appointment, and we're 346 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 3: giving you all the information and we can always answer 347 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,800 Speaker 3: your questions later through a follow up virtual appointment. So 348 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 3: these are some of the things we are noticing. People 349 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 3: are much more comfortable. So what we have done is 350 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:39,560 Speaker 3: actually we have taken advantage of these accelerating trends and 351 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:44,640 Speaker 3: brought even more innovative experiences to our customers and associates. 352 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: Well, next up, I've got an interesting question because I 353 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:53,160 Speaker 1: think of Lows as a truly enormous company, and often 354 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,640 Speaker 1: we can have a prejudice on enormous companies and think 355 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:59,920 Speaker 1: of them as being unable to be nimble or dexterous 356 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:02,720 Speaker 1: when conditions change. So what do you think is the 357 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:06,919 Speaker 1: secret to leaders to being ready to respond to the 358 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:07,960 Speaker 1: next big thing? 359 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:12,520 Speaker 3: Jonathan? I think, first of all, irrespective of your size, 360 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:15,680 Speaker 3: we all need to operate as if we are startup 361 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:20,320 Speaker 3: and at loads in technology and otherwise, we are always 362 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:24,520 Speaker 3: thinking about ourselves as a small company really and not 363 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:28,680 Speaker 3: as this mega corporation that we are, And I think 364 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 3: that fosters a sense of entrepreneurship and creativity and scrappiness 365 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:38,239 Speaker 3: that's really needed to solve even the biggest problems. And 366 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 3: we totally believe in what we call it as MVP 367 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:46,000 Speaker 3: minimum viable products. We believe in iterative approach. So we 368 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 3: would kind of publish something in the market Watch, how 369 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 3: it goes, keep iterating and perfecting it till it comes 370 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:55,240 Speaker 3: to a stage where it is ready for prime time 371 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 3: and a national launch. And all these are signs of 372 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:03,439 Speaker 3: creatively thinking in small teams and taking risks and giving 373 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:07,439 Speaker 3: license for people do not get it perfectly right the 374 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:11,240 Speaker 3: first time. I think that's really a key Jonathan, excellent. 375 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,439 Speaker 1: I'm also curious are there any emerging technologies that you 376 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 1: are particularly interested in exploring. I mean, obviously, right now 377 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,159 Speaker 1: the technology that's all a buzz across multiple sectors is 378 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:26,119 Speaker 1: artificial intelligence, though I often find that people reduce that 379 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:30,920 Speaker 1: to specific applications of AI as opposed to artificial intelligence 380 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 1: as a whole. But are there any that you're particularly 381 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:34,240 Speaker 1: excited about? 382 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:37,480 Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely, and we are looking at couple of different 383 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 3: technologies and We'll absolutely talk about AI before we go 384 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 3: in there. We are looking at a combination of can 385 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 3: we use RFID for anti theft? So for example, underston, 386 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 3: until you pay for your tool, it's not going to work. 387 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,919 Speaker 3: We call it Project Unlock. We are exploring that with 388 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 3: lots of our vendor partners. We feel that that technology 389 00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 3: and Loso was the first one to come up with 390 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,360 Speaker 3: that is really promising. We are looking at a lot 391 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:06,360 Speaker 3: of these connected technologies. Is what happens in the stores 392 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:09,920 Speaker 3: and online and how do we connect it. Lastly, I'll 393 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 3: also talk about AI. Jonathan, you know before that data 394 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:16,959 Speaker 3: remains extremely important to us and how can we unlock 395 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,919 Speaker 3: more and more insights for our associates and our customers 396 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 3: in order to make sure that their shopping experience is 397 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:25,840 Speaker 3: really enjoyable. The goal is to put all the fun 398 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 3: in the home improvement in and take all the friction 399 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:32,359 Speaker 3: out and that has been really important guiding principle for us. 400 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,920 Speaker 3: And then lastly AI. We are absolutely looking at AI 401 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 3: for example when it comes to predicting demand at a 402 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 3: chain level and store level, but then also predicting demand 403 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:45,639 Speaker 3: for how many salespeople are we going to need on 404 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 3: the floor in certain hours on certain days. We are 405 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 3: doing all these predictions with AI by looking at store 406 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 3: by store sales on an hour by our basis and 407 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,359 Speaker 3: kind of predicting us to when are the electricians needing 408 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 3: most help, pro plumbers coming into the stores asking for help. 409 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,440 Speaker 2: When is the right time to deploy all. 410 00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:08,640 Speaker 3: These associates so that we can give the best customer 411 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,320 Speaker 3: service to our customers. I think all this buzz about 412 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:16,400 Speaker 3: AI recently which has started is all because of chat, 413 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:21,480 Speaker 3: GPT and generative AI. And we are looking at generative AI, 414 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:23,919 Speaker 3: and we want to make sure that we come up 415 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 3: with a use case that is really helpful either for 416 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 3: associate and customers. And we have some ideas about how 417 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 3: to upload items really quickly. Can we help in a 418 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 3: way so that some of the manual work that is 419 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 3: very repetitious and very tedious can be taken out? So 420 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 3: I think we are again applying the same principles. How 421 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:46,880 Speaker 3: do we make sure there is a benefit for associates 422 00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:50,160 Speaker 3: and customers and how do we make sure we keep 423 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 3: the fun in the home improvement in and take all 424 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 3: the friction out. 425 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:58,120 Speaker 1: Before we could let her go, I had to ask 426 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:06,920 Speaker 1: smontany one more thing, What does being a restless one 427 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:07,840 Speaker 1: mean to you. 428 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 3: You know, it is funny you ask, and when we 429 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,600 Speaker 3: are talking about this podcast, I was really curious because 430 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 3: I love the name, and I tell you what. 431 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:17,800 Speaker 2: We practice this at lows every day. 432 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 3: It seems like because we are on this tech transformation journey. 433 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,760 Speaker 3: Like I said, we are on this journey to become 434 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:31,919 Speaker 3: the most customer centric omni channel retailer. And Jonathan, sometimes 435 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 3: you feel like this is a tall mountain you're climbing, 436 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:37,359 Speaker 3: and when you reach the summit, you're going to feel 437 00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 3: this just tremendous happiness. But then we see another mountain 438 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:43,440 Speaker 3: and we feel like, well, I wonder what is it 439 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:48,480 Speaker 3: and what's there in that mountain? And we start walking again, 440 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 3: and then we reach another place and we are like, okay, 441 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 3: but I can see something else from here, And it 442 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 3: just feels like a continuous journey as opposed to one 443 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 3: glorious day when we feel tremendously all done and all 444 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:05,359 Speaker 3: buttoned up, and frankly, I haven't had that day. And 445 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:07,560 Speaker 3: I'm quite happy that I haven't had that day, because 446 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 3: the journey continues, and I think restlessness is a really 447 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:15,239 Speaker 3: good thing in my mind. You want to feel like 448 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 3: there is more to learn, more to do. Leadership itself 449 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 3: is a restless journey. You're never going to come to 450 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 3: work and say I know everything there is to leadership. 451 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:26,119 Speaker 3: I think I got it. In fact, every day there 452 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:28,200 Speaker 3: is a little bit of like, well I know some things, 453 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:30,199 Speaker 3: but there are so many more things I don't know, 454 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,520 Speaker 3: and hence I feel the name of your podcast is 455 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 3: really how business is and how technology is, and that 456 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:39,400 Speaker 3: is how everybody at LOWS feel. 457 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 2: So the name resonates with us totally. 458 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:46,359 Speaker 1: Well, Samontani, I could not ask for a better answer 459 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: to that question. Thank you so much for joining our 460 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:54,560 Speaker 1: show and sharing your perspective. It has been a delightful conversation. 461 00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 3: Thank you so much, Jonathan, and it was great to 462 00:25:57,800 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 3: talk to you. 463 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,879 Speaker 1: Thanks again to Somontany Goldbolet for joining us on the 464 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:10,520 Speaker 1: Restless Ones. I greatly enjoyed our conversation and getting to 465 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,920 Speaker 1: know Smontani's approach to leadership. The fact that she maintains 466 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:18,040 Speaker 1: her appreciation for each team at the company really shines through, 467 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:23,200 Speaker 1: and using that paired with a dedication to exceeding customer expectations, 468 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:27,200 Speaker 1: clearly guides her leadership style. And once again we see 469 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:31,679 Speaker 1: through connectivity that businesses can achieve real results, whether it 470 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:34,520 Speaker 1: is to better anticipate and meet customer needs, keep an 471 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 1: eye on the ever changing conditions and supply chains, or 472 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:42,040 Speaker 1: to streamline workplace operations for associates, connectivity is the glue 473 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: that holds it all together, and I can't wait to 474 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 1: see how Lows incorporates innovative technologies in the not too 475 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:54,679 Speaker 1: distant future. Thank you for listening to this episode of 476 00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:57,360 Speaker 1: The Restless Ones. Be sure to return to hear more 477 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 1: conversations with pioneers who are at the intersection of technology 478 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: and business, and check out our past episodes for some 479 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:08,160 Speaker 1: incredible interviews with leaders across the spectrum of business, from 480 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:11,880 Speaker 1: startups to Fortune five hundred companies. Until next time, I'm 481 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:12,960 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland.